Dishwashing machine



Feb. 24, 1953 F. G. WALKER DISHWASHING MACHINE Filed Feb'. 15, 1946 2 SHEETS-SHEET l gwuwvtot FRA NK G WA Kef? www Feb- 24, .1953 F. G. WALKER 2,629,390

DIsHwAsHING MACHINE Filed Feb. 13, 1946 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 www. am

Patented Feb. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DIS'HWASHING MACHINE Frank G. Walker, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Application February 13, 1946, Serial No. 647,376

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to dishwashing apparatus in which dishes and utensils are cleaned by spraying hot cleaning solution thereon forced with substantial pressure by a iiuid circulating pump. More particularly, the present invention relates to the type of apparatus in which the sump in the bottom of the dishvvashing chamber is connected through a strainer with the inlet of the pump Whose outlet can be connected by a valve either with the nozzle cr with a drain into which undissolved particles of matter caught by the strainer can be discharged by the pump, when the strainer is dumped.

An object of the invention is to provide for the control of the valve and of the strainer by means operated by a single control member, said means being so constructed as to minimize the possibility of the clogging of the nozzle by undissolved matter removed from the dishes. In the disclosed embodiment of the invention, this object is accomplished by the combination of a strainer plate in the bottom of the sump and mounted to be rotated from a horizontal position to an inverted, horizontal position, a valve having a recirculating status for permitting solution to be Withdrawn from the sump by a pump and forced to the spray nozzle and having a draining status in which the spray nozzle is disconnected from the pump and the pump is connected with the drain and means for operating the valve and for so controlling the strainer plate that the valve is shifted from recirculation status practically to draining status before the plate is inverted to dump the matter collected thereon whereby to insure that all of the dumped matter Will be carried out of the drain and none will be carried to the spray nozzle.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts Which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a side view partly in section of a dishwasher embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the valve and strainer control mechanism as viewed on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View of the valve as viewed on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a one-way clutch for transmitting movement in one direction only to the strainer.

Referring to Fig. 1, I0 designates a cabinet having a front opening extending from level II to level I2 and closed by a door I3 having watersealing'provisons not shown. Within the cabinet there are supported brackets I4 carrying rollers I5 for supporting Wire baskets containing soiled dishes and utensils. Between the brackets I4, there is located a spray nozzle I6 for directing fine jets of cleansing fluid against the contents of the baskets resting. upon the rollers I5. The spray fluid descends to a sump in the bottom of the cabinet below the level II, from which the fluid passes through a finely perforated strainer plate I1, normally horizontal, into a cup I8 connected by a coarsely perforated disc I9 with the inlet pipe 2li of a fluid-circulating pump 2I driven by an electric motor 22 through a shaft coupling 23. The outlet 24 of the pump is connected With the housing 26 of a valve 25 (Fig. 3) having ports 21 and 29 connected, respectively, with pump outlet 24 and pipe 3| connected with nozzle I6 and having ports 28 and 30 either of which may be connected with a drain pipe 32. The housing 26 supports a rotary valve member 35 having a cross passage 36 and a side passage 31. Valve member 35 is connected with a shaft 38 (Fig. 1) extending through a packing gland 39 and provided With a lever or arm 40. Lever 40 is connected by a link 4I with a lever 42 pivoted at 43 upon a bracket 44 (Fig. 1) attached to the cabinet I0 adjacent the top and back thereof. The lever 42 has a control handle 45 extending through a slot 46 in a plate 41.

Lever 4I) (Fig. 2) carries a pin 50 extending into an arcuate slot 5I in a gear 52 (loosely journaled on shaft 38) meshing with a gear 53 attached to a shaft 54 and journaled at its left end (Fig. l) in a bearing 55 provided by the housing 26 of valve 25. The right end of shaft 54 has a bore 56 (Fig. 4) for receiving the reduced left end 51 of a shaft 58 journaled in a packing gland 59 attached to the strainer cup I8. Shaft 53 is connected with the strainer plate I1. The right-hand end 66 of the shaft 58- is journaled in a bearing 6I provided by the strainer cup I8.

Shaft 54 is connected with shaft 58 by a oneway clutch comprising a driving element 62 having diametrically opposite notches 63 cooperating With teeth 64 of a driven element 65 splinedly connected at 66 with the shaft 58. Element 65 isurged toward element 62 by a spring 61 retained under compression between the element 65 and a Washer 68 retained by a pin 69 attached r'ection of'a-rrow :'10 (Fig. 1).

to shaft 58. As viewed in the direction of arrow 'l0 (Fig. 1) and as viewed in Fig. 2, counterclockwise rotation of shaft 54 imparts counterclockwise movement to shaft 58 and strainer plate Il, but clockwise rotation of shaft 54 will not effect clockwise rotation of shaft 58 because the one-way clutch will slip due to the fact that the frictional resistance imposed lby the packing gland 59 on shaft 58 is in excess of the frictional resistance Vimposed by spring 51 on the .inclined engaging surfaces 63 of the 'clutch element 62 and the teeth 64 of element 65.

Counterclockwise rotation of shaft 54 for rotating the strainer plate Il is effected `by .clockwise movement of gear 52 which begins after lever 40 has moved clockwise about 42 when the pin 50 engages the lower end of 'slot-5l .-infgear 52 and ends when the lever has moved 48 further to bring Valve passage 36 into alignment with valve ports 28 and 30. The ratio of gears 52 and v`-ibeing 1 to v3.7.5, plate Il turns counterclockavise l180 `while the valve member :35 is `being ro- -tatedlclockwise through said 48 Yof its movement. Using .line A-B (Fig. 3,) Y.of the valve member .35 las a reference line, :linefAi--BI .represents Athe iposi'tion-of the member ,35 when the strainer begins to move counterclockwise as wiewecl .in `the fdi- .As the valve :mem- .lber 35 'is .moved further clockwise, the flow through iport 29 to the nozzlediminishes rapidly and :will ycease when 'the strainer has been tilted .suinciently to ldump the undissolved lmatter from its upper surface into l.the `stream of liquid being pumped from 'the `sump to the drain. .Thereore, :by vconditioning the `valve to substantially draining status before the strainer begins to tilt from `horizontal, the matter dumped Eby AVthe strainer will .not pass out Vthrough the "-.por-t 129 to `the nozzle but will be carriedoff with the liquid withdrawn 'from A.the sump. As the strainer is `tilted 'to dumping posi-tion, the .flow of :liquid from theisump is sufficient to efleotdislodgemen't of matter tending to Vcling to .the strainer.

Aftercleaning, the motor `is stopped, .the valve iis turned back lto recirculating status, the -sum-p .is .lled with hotwater, andthe motor is .started in .order to .force .rinse water .through the nozzle. After rinsing the valve lis 'turned to -drain lstatus to permit removal of the rinse vwater from the isumpby operation :ofthe pump.; and the motor is stopped.

'To Acondition the washer for a batch :of soiled fdishes, the valvelis turned to recirculatin'g status, the sump is lled Ywith cleansing solution .(fcleaning powder dissolved in `hot walter) .the :dishes 1are placed in ithe cabinet, ythe ydoor .is closed -and lthe Amotor is turned on.

vAs many vchanges could -be made in 'the above construction and many apparently widely difierent embodiments of `this invention could be :made without departing .from the scope thereof, it iis intended .that all vmatter containedin the above #description -orshown in the Aaccompanylmg Vdraw- '.ings 'shall .be .interpreted as illustrative and not fin .a .limiting sense.

It is `also to be understood .that lthe language used in the following claims is intended to lcover allof the generic `and specic features of lthe 'invention herein kdescribed and all statement-s of the scopeof the inventions/nich, as fa matter of language, .might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention: Y v1. A dishwasher having a .dish-receiving cabinet and providing a sump :below '.theleveliofithe dishes, said sump having `an :outlet iat the bottom thereof, a strainer tiltably mounted for inversion in the sump outlet, a pump having an inlet connected with the sump outlet, a nozzle for spraying cleansing solution upon `the dishes, a valve actuatable either into a recirculating status for connecting the outlet of the pump only with the nozzle or into a draining status for connecting the outlet of the pump' only with a drain, and a manually operated mechanism constructed and arranged "to be operated vvto condition the valve for draining in advance of inverting the strainer and to invert the strainer for dumping.

2. A dishwasher having a dish-receiving cabinet and 4providing a sump below the level of the dishes,said sump having an outlet at the bottom ltl1ere'of,"a stnainer tiltaibly mounted for inversion in the sump -outlet, .a pump having an inlet connected with the sump outlet, a nozzle for spraying rcleansing solution upon the dishes, a valve actuatable either into a recirculating status -for connecting the :outlet 'of the pump only 'with nth-e nozzle or into :a draining status for connecting the outlet of the pump only with a drain, and a'manually operated mechanism constructed and arranged to be operated yfor conditioning the 'valve .for draining in advance of inverting the strainer Vfor dumping, said manually operated .mechanism comprising 'a lever for moving the valve member, a .rotary member connected to the strainer and operable V4to invert it, and a lost mo- `tion connection `between the lever yand the vrotary member.

3. A dishwasher having `a dish-receiving cabiinet and 4Aproviding a sump below the level of the dishes, said sump vhaving lan outlet -at the bottom thereof, a strainer tiltably mounted for inversion in the sump outlet, a sum-p having an inlet connected with 'the sump outlet, a nozzle for .spraying 'cleansing solution upon the dishes, a val-ve actuatable in opposite directions Ieither into .a recircu'lating status for connecting the outlet of the pump only with .the nozzle or int-o a draining .status for connecting the outlet of the pump 4.only with a drain, and va manually operated mechanism for actuating the valve partially into .draining .status and then operable to 'begin to tilt the .strainer-Ito inverted position, the `tilting of the strainer continuing yas the Valve lapproaches complete draining status, Acirculation to the 'nozvzlece'afsing `before the strainer dumps while being inverted, said mechanismcausing the strainer to arrive lalt a-comple'tely inverted .position when the valve has lbeen moved completely into draining status, Lsaid mechanism also including means koperable to impart vmotion to the strainer only when the valve iis actuated in a direction to move it into draining status.

4. IA dishwasher having a dish-receiving cabinet and providing a sump 'below the level of the dishes, said' sump yhaving an outlet in lthe '.bottom thereof, 'a circular, perforated strainer plate lmounted in the `sump outlet "for rotation `about a diametrical axis, a pump having an inlet ccnnected withthe sump outlet, a nozzle for spraying cleansing solution 4upon -the dishes, a valve housing having through ports connected, respectively, with the :pump outlet, 'with a drain and with the nozzle, -a valve member for Jcontrolling the ports and movable into a recirculating position for connecting the 'pump "outlet with 'the nozzle or 'into a draining position :for connecting the pump outlet with fthe drain, `and ya 'manually operated vmechanism lfor operating lthe valve memberand the strainer .plate vand having provisions for :moving lthe 'valve partially into draining status before beginning to tilt the strainer plate, circulation to the nozzle being cut 01T when the strainer plate arrives at dumping position.

5. A dishwasher having a dish-receiving cabinet and providing a sump below the level of the dishes, said sump having an outlet in the bottom thereof, a circular, perforated strainer plate mounted in the sump outlet for rotation about a di-ametrical axis, a pump having an inlet connected with the sump outlet, a nozzle for spraying cleansing solution upon the dishes, a valve housing having through .por-ts connected, respectively, with the pump outlet, with a drain and with the nozzle, a valve member for controlling the ports and movable into a recirculating position for connecting the pump outlet with the nozzle or into a draining position for connecting the pump outlet with the drain, a manually operable lever for moving said valve, a driven shaft connected to said strainer, a ldriving shaft, a one-way clutch between said shafts, and a lost motion connection between said lever and driving shaft.

6. A dishwasher having a dish-receiving cabinet and providing a sump below the level of the dishes, said sump having an outlet in the bottom thereof, a circular perforated strainer plate mounted in the sump outlet for rotation about a diametrical axis. a pump having an inlet connected with the sump outlet, a nozzle for spraying cleansing solution upon the dishes, a valve housing having through ports connected respectively with the pump outlet, with a drain and with the nozzle, a valve member for controlling the ports and rotatable into a re-circulating position for connecting the pump outlet with the nozzle or into a draining position for connecting the pump outlet with the drain, a

shaft connected with the valve member, a manually operated mechanism for operating the valve member and the strainer plate including a manually operated lever attached to the shaft, a gear loosely journaled on the shaft, a pin and slot lost motion connection between the lever and gear, a second gear meshing with the first gear, and means including a one-way clutch connecting the second gear with the strainer plate, said lost motion connection being such that the valve member is moved a substantial distance into draining status before the lost motion is taken up, the gear ratio of the meshing gears being such that completion of the movement by the lever of the valve member into draining status effects one-half revolution of the strainer plate, said clutch functioning upon reversal of movement of the gearing by the lever to allow the strainer to remain in revolved position.

FRANK G. WALKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 654,793 Hirt July 31, 1900 1,382,915 Huggins June 28, 1921 1,508,041 Winton Sept. 9, 1924 1,550,439 Irvin Aug. 18, 1925 1,583,657 Chapman May 4, 1926 1,605,961 Loew Nov. 9, 1926 1,645,815 Murdoch Oct. 18, 1927 2,287,628 McMahan June 23, 1942 2,512,394 Sullivan June 20, 1950 

